Red City is the first book in a large scale political urban fantasy alt-earth series by Marie Lu. Released 14th Oct 2025 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 432 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out from the same publisher in first quarter 2027. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.
This is a very well written book. The prose is luminous and the story is engaging. The author is very skilled, with a well built fantasy alt-Los Angeles setting, fully realized characters, and a solid mix of background world building and human emotional engagement. There's a star-crossed lovers subplot, but it doesn't overshadow everything.
Lu writes sensitively and authentically about acculturation, identity, and belonging, and as with all worthwhile literature, there are a lot of deeper takeaways. The pacing is quite slow; deliberate would be a better descriptor, but it repays the effort. The first third of the book was particularly unhurried, but it picks up after that.
Four stars. Beautifully written. Content warnings for sudden violence, sexual content, and family dysfunction. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition, home library, or a buddy/book club selection. Book 2 in the series is due out 2nd quarter of 2027 from the same publisher.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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